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Monday, July 27, 2009

Have you ever been so excited about something that you fell over? Bumped into something? Peed your pants? Maddox has been.

After dinner, Sacha likes dessert, which is usually two pieces of Orowheat Buttermilk bread held together like a sandwich with or with out something inside...like peanut butter or coconut jam. I always wonder why he does this, since it's not really dessert and we usually just had a big dinner. I also curse the weight Gods, since there is no way in h-e-l-l I could get away with eating a peanut butter sandwich AFTER dinner and not instantly gain 5 pounds.

The other night, Sacha was preparing his "dessert". He had bought a loaf of fancy bread from Whole Foods and was cutting up a few pieces. Maddox sees this take place and immediately asked "bread?". As Sacha handed him a torn off piece of this golden yummy delight, Maddox was overcome with joy. He began hopping in a state of happiness right into the dining room chair, which proceeded to knock him face first to the ground. Where he just got up and kept eating and jumping.

Now if this would have been a different kind of fall, I know tears would have resulted, but since the holy grail of bread was the main purpose of this act, he was not upset.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Potty-training is almost done in this house. Maddox is accident free during the day and his pull-ups are pretty much dry when he wakes in the morning. But there has been a few nightime accidents here and there. Maddox has got it in his head that you must take off your underwear and pants to pee, which is correct. Except when you are in bed and wearing pull-ups. At this point I would hope that he would just pee in the pull-ups and we'd change him in the morning. But no, Maddox likes to disrobe to pee.

Numerous times we have found him naked from the waist down in bed. Pull-up and pajama bottoms tossed across the room in various states of disarray. A few times there had been crying included in this scenario and wet sheets.

The topper of this current situation came the other night. Sacha was ensconced in "Call of Duty 4" and I in my "watch instantly" on Netflix episodes of "The L Word". There's something about that show. A world that I know pretty much nothing about, but find fascinating. Are Lesbians in LA this hot? Do they all have powerful jobs, beautiful homes and incredible bodies? I'm fascinated. And in love with Shane.

Back to the pee story. So, I had my headphones on watching lesbians make-out and Sacha was killing some soldiers. Sacha drops what he's doing and runs to Maddox's room. I realize there is crying coming from his room. I stay seated since usually this is just a case of putting him back down and closing the door. But then I hear "Kerry, I'm going to need your help!"

I walk in to find Maddox holding poop in his hands and crying hysterically. Pull-ups on the floor, pajama bottoms across the room. Big wet spot and smeared doodoo on the mattress. Sacha takes Maddox to the bathroom to clean him up and I collect the mess for a spin in the washer.

My son was holding his poop. And upset by it, which he should have been. A few moments later he was laughing and all was right again. But the image of Maddox holding his poop in his hands will be with me for a while. At least he didn't smear it all over the place, which I've heard happens.

Now the decision comes, do we move him to a real bed from his crib, so he can walk to the bathroom? Do we want him roaming around in the middle of the night, drinking milk from the carton, secretly watching Thomas the Train for the 100th time? I don't think I'm ready for that. I think I'd rather wash the sheets occasionally.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Take a peek at the beautiful mobiles, hangings and garlands made by Heather Frazier out of her Portland, Oregon, studio. Her handmade mobiles are crafted from card stock paper in a range of gorgeous colors, cut into a variety of shapes such as circles, hexagons, flowers and more. The shapes are carefully strung on a strong, clear thread and hang from a thin acrylic disc. They make a beautiful gift, and add a sparkle to any room.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Today, on my bus commute home, a couple with a newborn boarded the bus and the newborn was crying. You know, that little cry that only newborns can make? It's not too loud, not too soft, enough to make you look up, but not quite enough to make you cringe? I looked at the parents and had that "I know" feeling come across me. To be new parents is definitely an experience. You are so whipshawed into a state of utter confusion, anxiety, sleeplessness, fogginess. You're also so concerned with how you are parenting and if you're doing the right thing or if you should do it differently. The first week we brought Maddox home was a haze. I couldn't get the breastfeeding thing down and was tired beyond belief. I turned to the Internet and a stack of parenting books to answer my questions in the middle of the night. I cried a few times. I wandered around like I was on drugs. Not having any family around in the clutch times, anonymous mothers online were my therapists.

I also will admit, it wasn't love at first site. It was definitely like. But not love yet. I had this little being crying, spitting, chomping on my nipples...how could this be love?

I really wish I knew then, what I know now. And I guess this is why I'm writing this post. I almost can't wait for the second child. Now that I've been through it once, I can conquer anything.

I wanted to look over at that couple on the bus and tell them it will be ok. It will pass. It's really not as hard as it seems. I'm sure they will figure that out soon.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

This weekend was the Renegade Craft fair in San Francisco. Along with my friends, Anne selling Archibald Clothing, Shannon selling her Fangs Apparel line and Roman Ruby Soaps, I also bought some jewelry and these fun things:

I've been looking for a tissue box cover since we always seem to have tissue boxes all over the house. This was brilliant.

Monday, July 13, 2009

I love what my sister is creating and if you're looking for some whimsical art for your children's room or even just around the house, check out her stuff. She has a site on etsy. Here are some of my favorites:

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Traveling with children is always something to talk about. Whether you have them or not, you have an opinion. And if you have them, you want to be armed with as much information as possible to make the travels as painless as possible. This is why I decided to start a blog about traveling with kids. Kids on a Plane will have recent news, gear ideas, tips and anything else regarding traipsing around the world with your family. Check it out:

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

My new sewing obsession has got me finding all sorts of amazing blogs and sites from creative women. I'm like a kid in a candy shop. I can't get enough of sewing tutorials and design blogs. I'm also a little overwhelmed. Since I'm just getting the hang of my Singer and learning to read directions from patterns I'm trying to stay clear of any projects that are too detailed. I'm slowly building my supplies and some cheap fabric to practice on. In the meantime check out some of the cool sites I've come across the past couple weeks:

annamariahorner.com/: This woman is brilliant. A mother of 6 gorgeous children, a pattern maker, fabric designer and all creative gal. I love this pattern and fabric. I plan to purchase some of her fabric once I'm confident I won't destroy it.

Monday, July 6, 2009

As my husband and I contemplate a second child, we also contemplate our 2 bedroom apartment and how the expanding family will all fit. Ideally, we'd like to move to something a bit bigger, but until that happens we have to make it work.

I just saw this posting on ittybits.com for some great convertible furniture. The toddler bed from P'kolino is brilliant. Perfect to fold up to a chair during the day and out to a bed for nighttime since we'll be cramming the little ones into the same room. I get little flashbacks to the hospital room where we had the most uncomfortable fold out chair situation to sleep on next to Maddox, but I'm hoping this set up is much more pleasing to the body.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

My next inspiration comes from a couple I read about today on sfgate.com. They live and own a shop in my neighborhood. They were featured in an article and their rotating art wall got me all excited to do something similar.

We have a big empty spot above our couch and it's in dire need of some slickness. I went today to the thrift store and bought a few frames. Once I get a few more, I'm planning to paint them a similar color and find some great postcards, clippings and such to fill them with.

The cool couple also run the blog Design*Sponge. Great ideas on this site.